As the nation's premiere winter racing destination, Gulfstream Park annually attracts some of the best 3-year-olds in training as they prepare and compete with the Triple Crown series in mind.
No trainer has done it better in South Florida than Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, whose unparalleled success includes a record number of wins in both the Florida Derby (G1), Gulfstream's signature race, and its prep, the Fountain of Youth (G2).
Since 2007 Pletcher has won the $1 million Florida Derby, a 1 1/8-mile test that has produced a remarkable 59 Triple Crown race winners, seven times including back-to-back in 2014-15 and 2017-18 as well as this spring with 2022 champion 2-year-old male Forte.
Forte also gave Pletcher his record fourth victory in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, the first dating back to Scat Daddy in 2007. The 78th Fountain of Youth will be run March 2, 2024, four weeks before the Florida Derby is contested for the 73rd time, March 31.
“Gulfstream has always been a good program for us, for our later-developing 2-year-olds slash 3-year-olds,” Pletcher said. “It obviously has a very good Triple Crown prep program, and we've been fortunate to have some success over the years.”
Pletcher's primary winter base is in South Florida, with strings at both Palm Beach Downs and Gulfstream, where he won 18 consecutive Championship Meet training titles starting in 2004. The 2023-2024 Championship Meet will kick off Dec. 1.
Gulfstream's series of stakes for 3-year-olds begins New Year's Day with the one-mile Mucho Macho Man, a race Pletcher has won twice. He has also taken the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull (G3) twice including 2018 with Audible, who would go on to win the Florida Derby. The 35th Holy Bull is scheduled for Feb. 3.
Two of Pletcher's current young stars are Fierceness and Locked, both of whom figure to be in the mix for champion 2-year-old male of 2023. Repole Stable homebred Fierceness rebounded from a poor showing in the Oct. 7 Champagne (G1) with aplomb, powering to a 6 ¼-length upset at odds of 16-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. It was just his third start, having graduated in his debut Aug. 25 at Saratoga.
“He ran super,” Pletcher said. “We were kind of perplexed by his Champagne after his successful debut and just kind of had to check him over and make sure everything was OK. Eventually he breezed so well we decided to draw a line through the Champagne and try again and thankfully he delivered the type of performance that he's capable of. We're obviously very excited about that.”
Fierceness finished as the third individual betting interest (29-1) in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager that concluded just before the Breeders' Cup. He wound up favored among 38 individual betting interests in the second future wager over Thanksgiving weekend (8-1).
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's Locked began and ended Pool 1 of the Derby future wager as the top individual betting interest, and finished Pool 2 second to Fierceness, both times at 14-1. He broke his maiden at second asking Sept. 1 at Saratoga before winning the Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 7 at Keeneland and finishing third as the favorite in the Juvenile.
“I thought he ran deceivingly well in the Breeders' Cup. He was one of the few horses that was making up ground from off the pace,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately, he just got shuffled back a little too far and climbed a little bit from the kickback. Once he finally got out in the clear, he was finishing up very strongly and a couple strides away from getting up for second. We think he's a very talented colt that will appreciate the added distance and we're excited about his 3-year-old year.”
Pletcher also ran ninth in the Juvenile with Mike Repole's Noted, who has been first or second in four of five starts with a win in the Aug. 26 Sapling on the dirt at Monmouth Park. He was beaten a nose by Can Group in the Oct. 8 Bourbon (G2) on the Keeneland turf; Can Group is trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, whose winter base is Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.
Among other Pletcher 2-year-olds turning 3 are Agate Road, winner of the Oct. 4 Pilgrim (G2) on the grass at Aqueduct and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1); Be You, third in the Oct. 7 American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita; Oct 29 Street Sense (G3) runner-up Moonlight; and Private Desire, fourth in the Nov. 5 Nashua (G3) at Aqueduct. Nomos, fourth in the Aug. 31 With Anticipation (G3) on the turf at Saratoga, was eighth in his main track debut in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) Nov. 25.
“It's always an exciting time of the year, to kind of see where you are with your 2-year-olds turning 3 and hopefully have some other ones that haven't started yet that can step up,” Pletcher said. “We always look forward to the Gulfstream meet. It's always been a good for our program with the young horses starting to come around.”
Pletcher isn't the only South Florida-based horseman with promising 2-year-olds that may be seen at Gulfstream over the winter. Jose D'Angelo trains Bentornato, undefeated in four starts being pointed to a potential sweep of the Florida Sire Series in the $300,000 In Reality Dec. 2 at Gulfstream following victories in the Dr. Fager Sept. 9 and Affirmed Oct. 21. Bentornato also won Gulfstream's Proud Man in August.
Saffie Joseph Jr., who recently claimed his eighth consecutive training title at Gulfstream including back-to-back Championship Meet crowns, unveiled Peter Blum's homebred Mastery colt Merit, a popular 10 ¼-length maiden special weight winner sprinting seven furlongs Nov. 4.
Also exiting the Kentucky Jockey Club are Stretch Ride, who lost for the first time in his third start when third for 2018 Fountain of Youth-winning trainer Dale Romans, and Dancing Groom. Trained by Antonio Sano, winner of the Fountain of Youth in 2017 with Gunnevera and 2022 with Simplification, Dancing Groom broke his maiden at Saratoga and was third in the Champagne and sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club.
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, winner of the 2023 Holy Bull with Rocket Can, has Billal, who ran third in the Nashua; Parchment Party, unbeaten in two starts; and Knightsbridge, a 10 ½-length debut winner Nov 4. Trainer Danny Gargan's Dornoch, a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, was runner-up in the Sapling as a maiden, graduating Oct. 14 at Keeneland.
The Wine Steward is trained by Mike Maker, third in wins at last year's Championship Meet. Bred in New York, The Wine Steward won his first three races including the July 2 Bashford Manor at Ellis Park and Aug. 27 Funny Cide against state-breds at Saratoga before finishing second in the Breeders' Futurity.
Trainer Chad Brown has prospects in Champagne runner-up General Partner, sixth in the Juvenile; Domestic Product, a maiden winner second time out Oct. 27 at Aqueduct; and Sierra Leone, an Aqueduct debut winner Nov. 4.
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